I was scheduling a conference call with a customer, and if memory serves, the conversation went something like this:
Customer: I’m sorry, was your name Honey? (heavy southern accent)
Hani: Hani, it’s like Danny but with an H.
Customer: Alright Hahny, so what time-zone are you on ?
Hani: I’m on GMT+2. It’s 5:30PM.
Customer: Where are you located?
Hani: I’m in Jordan.
Customer: Jordan, Minnesota? (Jordan, MN is an obscure city, population under 4000)
Hani: Actually, Jordan the country. It’s right next to Israel.
Customer: Ohhhh right, have you been to Petra?
Hani: No, I’m not really big on ancient cities, but now that it’s a world wonder, maybe I should go.
Customer: While we’re on the subject, your queen is hawt!
Hani: (Changing the subject)
So I had conversations with 3 different Americans end up this way when the word Jordan came up. Of course in other instances Michael Jordan would come up instead. Recently, I can’t remember which blogger posted a sound clip of a Jordanian Radio DJ calling up a live American Radio show to ask about syndicating their show on her station, and they reacted the same way. Likewise, she changed the subject.
12 Users Commented In This Post
Posted from
12-16-2007 at 08:57:23
Did you eventually talk business?? :)
Posted from
12-16-2007 at 09:16:32
You’re lucky to have such customers:-)
Posted from
12-16-2007 at 12:18:38
So what exactly do you do for living?
At first I thought it’s some nice old lady (What’s ur name honey!
Yeah, change the subject indeed! And it was most probably around 8-9:30 in the morning there!
Posted from
12-16-2007 at 12:37:04
There is also another Dubai and another Damascus. Drives us nuts in the office.
Posted from
12-16-2007 at 14:05:01
“Hani: Actually, Jordan the country. It’s right next to Israel.”
tsu2 tsu2 tsu2.
Posted from
12-16-2007 at 22:28:16
well,isn’t she a hottie,fashion icon,elegance,..etc. =D
anywayz,..
“Hani: Actually, Jordan the country. It’s right next to Israel.”
it remindes me of that russian tourist i met in petra,..
i told him i was in AD, and he was like “the hell?!”..
when i told him “Dubai”,he said :Aha! ..
so i guess it’s up to media againas dubai is always active with festivals n’ stuff so it’s well-known ..
and as for Queen Rania she’s known by her activities all around the world , so i guess thats why ..
nice post =) ..
i love readin’ ur updates btw =D ..
Posted from
12-17-2007 at 00:57:06
Wonders, lol yes. Actually I’m pretty bad with small talk so I usually get straight down to business, but if a customer asks you something it would be rude to just ignore them.
Jad, we get all kinds !
Firas, I work for a software company. All Hanis end up getting called “honey” at some point. I guess it’s ok when women do it.
KJ, yeah, but it’s strange how he would first assume I was in a small city of 4000 rather than Jordan, and even stranger that he knew Jordan, Minnesota !
VA, sorry I gave up on that cause. I’ll call it by its original name when (or rather if) we ever get it back.
Alia, H.M. is certainly elegant, beautiful, and well known, but it’s odd that this is often the first thing that comes to mind on mentioning Jordan to some Americans. I think it started after her Oprah appearance in 2006. I’ve only been to Dubai once a couple of years back, I have to say I was shocked. City mall in Dubai was several times bigger than the largest mall in Canada, and as I understand they even have a bigger one now. Thank you, my posts are few and far in between, but I’m glad you enjoy them, and I look forward to reading yours.
Posted from
12-18-2007 at 00:40:28
Honey,Honey..we are much closer to Israel,we are the next door neighbor .. Actually this is the only way to get people here to know where Lebanon is, saying Palestine doesn’t work either!!!
Posted from
12-18-2007 at 22:25:57
I just say Jordan, Jordan in the middle east. I give her credit for knowing that’s where petra is, or even knowing what petra is!
Posted from
12-18-2007 at 23:48:00
Noura, yeah but sometimes if I mention I was born in Israel, people assume I am jewish, and tell me how much they secretly hate Arabs at which point I enlighten them as to my origins, and their face turns red !
Asoom, it was a man ! and I wouldn’t give them too much credit since this wasn’t long after the world wonder vote, so Petra was kind of in the news then.
Posted from
12-24-2007 at 13:03:01
It’s amazing that people in Europe 90% of the time, know exactly were Jordan is… Sometimes it feels like the US is on another planet…
Posted from
12-26-2007 at 00:31:34
mkilany, still we have to give them some credit. After all, the US alone stretches actoss an entire continent. Try asking any middle eastern guy to point out Guyana on a map. You’d be lucky if they point to the right continent.
Sharing Is Caring.....